While I was away on business, my wife's kept boy moved right into the Gilbert estate—bold as brass. He wore my clothes, drank my vintage wines, and had the audacity to think he could climb into my bed and sleep with my wife.
What he didn't count on was my mother catching him in the act. She called me back immediately. I had my men strip him naked and break one of his legs before tossing him out like garbage.
When my wife found out, she didn't blame me. Instead, she slapped herself across the face and apologized. "I'm so sorry, darling. I only helped him because I pitied him. I never imagined he'd try to take your place—he nearly caused a disaster. I'll have him driven out of the city myself. He'll never set foot here again."
Since she'd admitted her mistake so readily, I forgave her. And she didn't disappoint—she played the role of the perfect wife flawlessly.
Until six months later.
I drank the wine she handed me. The moment it touched my lips, my body gave out, and I collapsed onto the bed.
When I opened my eyes again, I was bound to a chair. My mother was locked in an iron cage. And my dear wife sat with her legs crossed, one arm draped around her little boy toy, watching as her men threw water on my mother.
"Your mother loves running her mouth, doesn't she?" May Harding's voice was silk over steel. "And you—you enjoyed stripping someone naked, didn't you?"
"Well then, let's play a little game. A wager. If you lose..." She smiled. "Your mother gets stripped bare and thrown to a crowd of lonely, desperate men."
——
The cage door swung open. A man stepped inside, grabbed my mother by the arm, and backhanded her across the face.
"Don't you dare touch her!" I roared, straining against the ropes. "May, what the hell do you want?"
May looked at me like I was the funniest thing she'd seen all day. Then her expression softened as she traced her fingers over the place where I'd broken Mark Delgado's leg. When she spoke again, her voice was ice.
"Justice for Mark, of course. Whatever you did to him that day—I'm going to pay you back double."
"Pay me back?" A bitter laugh escaped me. "So you've been in love with this pretty boy all along. Is that it?"
"Yes."
The word hit like a blade.
So that was it. Six months of devotion, of being the perfect wife—all of it was an act. She'd been biding her time, waiting for me to let my guard down before she struck.
But I never thought she'd drag my mother into this. Never thought she'd make her suffer too.
Mark limped toward me, hatred burning in his eyes. Each uneven step reminded me of what I'd done to him. He stopped in front of my chair and drove his fist into my face.
"Kerry Gilbert." He spat my name like a curse. "You broke my leg. Made me a cripple. So now I'm going to take my time—torturing you and your mother, piece by piece. Just you wait."
I glared at them both, fury boiling in my veins. "May. You kidnapped us. Brought us here against our will. That's a crime. You know what I'm capable of. The moment I get out of here, I'm divorcing you and leaving you with nothing—"
"Ha!" May threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, Kerry. Kerry, Kerry, Kerry. I stopped being afraid of you a long time ago. These past six months? I've been busy. Your company? Mine now. Your shareholders?" She gestured lazily. "Bought and paid for. Every last one of them."
My eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
May clapped her hands, still grinning. The door opened, and a line of familiar faces filed in.
My shareholders. All of them.
"What is this?" I demanded. "What are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious?" one of them sneered. "We're backing her now. You're done."
"May." My voice shook with barely contained rage. "How dare you. When your family was ruined, who saved you? I did. The Gilberts pulled you out of nothing. And now you betray me—for him? For this worthless kept man?"
If I weren't tied to this chair, I would have launched myself at them. I would have beaten them both to death with my bare hands.
The fury churned inside me, rising and rising, impossible to suppress.
And the more I raged, the more May and Mark reveled in it. Their eyes glittered with sick satisfaction.
"Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention." May leaned forward, her smile sharpening. "We're in international waters. There's no law here. No police. No rescue." She tilted her head. "So if you want to save your nosy, meddlesome mother... you'll have to gamble for her. Against us. To the bitter end."
